Blind to Love
by demonlifehealer
Summary: Orihime healed Ulquiorra after Ichigo lost control of himself in the fight, due to this Orihime wasn't able to defend herself when Ichigo attacked her, causing her to go blind. Stoic! Confused! Ulquiorra/Blind! Orihime, Szayel/Ishida, and more..
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

"Ichigo! Please help me!" Orihime screamed at the top of her lungs at the unconscious man at her feet. Her eyes darted back and forth from her friend to her demonic caretaker. She wouldn't believe this. She wouldn't believe that Ichigo was dead. The green eyed demon stared straight ahead. How typical of the woman. Even as her precious person laid at her feet in defeat she would still be crying and begging that trash to save her.

The auburn haired woman felt tears drip down her cheek despite trying so hard to stay strong. She had expected Ulquiorra to attack her for trying to heal Ichigo but the fourth espada stood still simply staring at her. Didn't the woman realize that her whining wasn't going to bring her precious friend back? The arrancar felt himself being filled with an ironic satisfaction. He was showing her how foolish her talk of a heart was. Ulquiorra took a step forward noticing how the woman's eyes widened.

A dark energy began to rise up from the dead body that stopped the fourth espada in his tracks. Orihime looked down in hopeful joy at the revival of her friend but it was all wrong. The eyes she was supposed to be seeing looking up at her were supposed to be a warm chocolate color filled with strength and determination. What looked up at her now could only be described at pure evil. The newly revived Ichigo let out an inhuman shriek .

The joy she had previously felt was quickly turning into terror.

Ishida panted out his breaths as he watched Ichigo turn into a complete hollow. The insane Ichigo raised his hand, all five gigantic claws facing out as he tried to slash Orihime's face. The auburn haired lady's breath increased as the panic uncoiled from her stomach. She realized his intent and knew that there was no way to block it. She felt herself colliding with the cold sand of Hueco Mundo as the Quincy pushed her out of the way. She looked back and saw that her friend now had a sword sticking out from his gut. Hollow Ichigo made what could only be described at demented giggles as he pulled the sword out. Blood gurgled past the Quincy's lips as the sword was slowly pulled from his midsection.

The healer watched with wide eyes. This couldn't be her friend. There was no part of the original Ichigo that remained. He became something akin to a giant reptile. Where was her Ichigo? She wanted her Ichigo! All she got were those inhumanly scary eyes turning to her.

"I…Ichigo…"

Another shriek filled the air as he threw the Quincy across the sand. The monster dropped to all fours (because it had to be a monster, there was no way this was her Ichigo) and began charging toward her. Orihime froze up, she wanted to move but she was just to afraid. The monster kept getting closer and closer. Orihime could feel herself shake from the adrenaline. She tightly closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable.

She heard two swords meet near her head. The resounding clang of metal echoing through the white desert was unmistakable. Orihime let out a shaky breath as she opened her eyes. In front of her stood Ulquiorra emotionlessly holding off the insane monster. The swords were held in a deadlock. The healer scooted back frantically on the sand to get out her their way. The auburn haired teenager looked at the scene before her. Ulquiorra was holding his own but he already looked so beaten. He was breathing heavily and had already had a leg and an arm chopped off. Ichigo on the other hand was completely healed.

Orihime couldn't help but feel guilty. This was her fault. She was the one that so selfishly called Ichigo back. How was she supposed to know he would turn into this? They weren't supposed to come after her! They were supposed to train for the upcoming war and get stronger in her absence! And now Ulquiorra was the one protecting her. She never would have thought in a million years that one day she would need protection from Ichigo.

_The least I can do is help Ulquiorra. Maybe is Ichigo is defeated he'll turn back to normal._

Orihime gathered all of her courage as he touched her hairpins. "I reject." She yelled throughout the night. _Please work quickly_. Ulquiorra felt the warmth from the shield surround him. His insides which were torn past the point of regeneration from earlier were piecing themselves together again. His arm and legs regenerated themselves and his low energy evened out to normal levels. Why would she help him? Certainly the woman had to know that he was going to use his newly healed body to kill her precious "Kurosaki-kun". Perhaps this was a survival mechanism since she now saw that the shinigami was past the point of sense. Either way he would take what was being offered.

With Orihime being so focused on healing her former caretaker she wasn't prepared to defend herself when the monster jumped over Ulquiorra and pointed his sword at her. The fourth espada acted quickly enough as he grabbed the back of Ichigo's shoulders and pulled the monster back. Unfortunately the green eyed demon didn't pull the former substitute shinigami back far enough.

The last thing Orihime saw was the tip of a sword coming toward her. Ulquiorra felt an the emotion of rage fill him as he listened to the woman scream in agony. The auburn haired female's hands covered her eyes. They were sliced through the insides! The top of her nose seemed to be cut through as well. She could feel the sticky metallic smelling liquid squirting all over her hands. The pain felt so sharp! Thankfully her eyeball was still attached within its socket but the pain was so great that she didn't have the energy to appreciate that little fact.

_Ichigo? Ichigo had done this to her? _She wanted to cry but the tears only agitated the wound. Her emotions were spinning out of control. What was happening now? She couldn't see but everything felt so sharp. He could hear swords clashing again. She bit inside of her lip to keep from crying out at the unbelievable pain. She squeaked as she felt herself being picked up and held.

"Calm yourself woman. The pain will go away momentarily " An emotionless voice stated. Orihime was sure she was hallucinating but did she detect a small bit of worry? She tried to stop crying and get a hold of herself. She could hear the monster's hollow screech getting further and further away. The blood continued to sickly run down her fingers as she pressed them to her eyes. She could feel the wind chilling her despite being firmly held against the fourth espada's chest. She could feel herself coming down from all of the action. She painfully rested her head on the cool shoulder and allowed her world to collapse around her.

She would sleep and when she woke up all this would be a bad dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own.

I wanted to thank everyone for the kind reviews. Thank you.

* * *

The first thing Orihime became aware of the next time she awoke was the feeling of the grainy sand rubbing against her. The second thing was the throbbing pain that covered her whole face and the third was the all consuming darkness. She remembered when there had been a massive blackout in the district where her and Sora lived. She had been young at the time and while she had at first felt a small prickle of fear, her brother had turned it into a time for play. They had found some extra flashlights, turning the potentially traumatic situation into a game of flashlight tag.

What Orihime remembered the most about the game was that there were orbs of light trying to find her within the bleak darkness. There were no lights trying to find her in the darkness this time. She moaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position. It was then that the voices decided to make an appearance in a volume two times louder than she was used to hearing.

"Oh so you're awake? Tell me how are you feeling?" A calm female voice asked. The voice sounded familiar. Orihime felt her face carefully. She could feel the dried blood that flecked off as she touched it from under her eyes and across her nose. The auburn haired female could feel a small prick on the bridge of her nose. Her body tensed as she remembered how she got those wounds. Her eyes painfully widened as she wondered what had become of her friend.

"What about Kurosaki-kun? What happened to him!" The wounded lady frantically asked. Unohana sighed as she stared at the blind girl.

"All questions will be answered in due time, now please tell me how you are feeling." Orihime could sense the threat in the composed voice. The auburn haired one swallowed the lump in her throat that compelled her to ask more questions about what had happened while she was out.

" I feel fine. My head hurts a little bit and I can't see but otherwise I'm fine. Now will you please tell me what happened to Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime heard the lady sigh. She wanted the woman to hurry up! She knew that her impatience was a sign of rudeness but she didn't care. She had to know what happened to Kurosaki!

"That's good. You were lucky you had the espada bring you to me. While you were unconscious I was able to stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling. However unfortunately, there was too much dark resitsu in the wounds in your eyes. I wasn't able to heal them." A cold feeling surged through Orihime. She would never see again? Despite not being able to see when she woke up she had assumed somewhere in her mind that it would be temporary.

"I..I won't be able to see ever again?" The auburn healer's breathing deepened as she tried to stop herself from breaking down. She bit the inside of her lip in an attempt to compose herself in front of the nice lady. It was okay, so she wouldn't be able to see. _There were tons of people who were blind in the human world that lived perfectly normal lives. I'll be fine. _Her attempt at looking on the bright side was bringing her spiraling down into the pit of despair. She knew she was lying to herself.

"I didn't say that you will never see again. I said that I couldn't heal your eyes. Over time I'm sure the dark resitsu will fade then you could try to heal your eyes yourself or they might heal naturally." The healer stated. Orihime took a calming breath_. See? Everything will be fine_. With that issue put on the back burner her main issue came back to the forefront of her mind.

"What about Kurosaki?' Orihime could hear the intake of breath but the voice that answered was a different voice from the kind healer.

"When we arrived here the shinigami Captains were dispatched in search of the trash. He will most likely be destroyed on sight." The auburn haired female gasped at the information. Only Ulquiorra could deliver the most devastating news in a perfectly bored voice. She turned her head in the direction of the noise. She felt anger course through her at his words. If only she could see him so she would know where to hit. How could he be so cruel?

"Shut up Ulquiorra! There is no way the Captains would do that! They know Ichigo!" Orihime screamed back in denial. The fourth espada rose an eyebrow at the outburst. It was bold of her to verbally attack him after all he's done for her.

"Do you truly believe that woman? Ichigo knew you but that didn't stop him from making you blind. The shinigami are here for the purpose of stopping Aizen, from which I can sense Gin is doing now. They are supposed to eliminate threats. Your precious person losing his mind will only help Aizen therefore they must destroy him. Only trash would lose control of their hollow side in such a way." Orihime bit her lip in anger.

"If that's true then explain how you are still alive! You work for Aizen!" The younger healer screeched, not caring in the least of the spectacle she was making for Unohana. She felt like she was on a continuous roller coaster, that her emotions were so fresh, she never knew which way they would turn.

"I am alive because I no longer work for Aizen. Very soon he will cease to exist. I know you can feel the ripples in the air woman. I will not attack the shinigami unless they attack me. I have no reason to." The demon hunched over as he explained his reasoning. Orihime turned to where she remembered the lady's voice coming from.

"He can't be telling the truth! Tell me that he's wrong!" The younger human pleaded. Tense seconds ticked by which answered Orihime's question.

"I'm sorry." The healer amended. Orihime could feel a sob worming its way up her throat. The air suddenly collapsed. It felt like her lungs had stopped working. She heard the other healer take a sharp intake of breath. The horrible suffocating feeling lasted for a few more seconds.

"I can't believe he actually did it." the auburn haired lady felt so horribly lost. She jumped as she felt the vibrations of someone landing next to her.

"You sure did miss an awesome fight! I had no idea that Gin would betray Aizen like that! It took a while but we finally put him down. The Quincy was no where to be found. I think Ichigo ate him. We also found Rukia, Renji, and that other human. It seems that were all knocked unconscious from the spiritual pressure from Gin's fight. I guess they were too close, humph, whatever." Zaraki's rough voice grated on Orihime's ears. While listening to what the violent Captain had to say she felt herself freeze. _Oh God. He killed Kurosaki. _She could just imagine that maniac laughing as he took down an equally insane monster.

"We should be heading back. I sent the Leader the feed from Gin's fight. They are going to let the forty six decide whether he should be honored as a hero or punished. We will drop the humans off at Urahara's." Byakuya stated with authority. The auburn haired lady began to shake as she heard the Captains talking about everything as though she wasn't even there. Everything was wrong! She could feel a decent dose of self hatred rising up in her. They had sacrificed so much for her. She felt more vibrations in the sand as someone walked towards her. All of a sudden she could feel herself being picked up from behind.

"I will carry her." She heard Ulquiorra's monotone voice carry out. The tenseness in the atmosphere was nearly too much. She wanted to struggle in the espada's grasp but she knew it wouldn't do any good. She wondered why he was doing this. Wasn't it just a few hours earlier that he was threatening to leave her wandering to her death in Los Noches? She felt him flick his wrist and jump into what she could only imagine to be the portal. His hold on her was firm as she felt the energy waves pass through her. She recognized this feeling from before as the flow of the portal.

She felt them stop and herself being carefully set down.

"Well well what do we have here?" Urahara smirked as he looked at the ragtag group of espada, human, and shinigami. It seems like he would have some good news today after all.


	3. Chapter 3

The one thing that no one will tell you to look out for when you're blind is how hard it becomes to keep your balance. Orihime learned that lesson the hard way when she was put down to stand on the hard concrete in the Urahara shop. She tightly held her feet to the floor in an attempt to get her bearings. She didn't have a clue what room she was in but she figured it was on the first floor since it felt like concrete under her feet. She wobbled as she stood and put her arms out in an attempt to regain her balance. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt herself stand still.

"I suppose I'll need to go tell Isshin what happened to Ichigo but that can wait. The real question is what will you do now Orihime?" The shopkeeper asked as he sat down at the table. The female had been quiet since she had arrived but that was to be expected. Her love interest had died and she was now blind. He could only imagine the type of pain she was in. The dried blood around her eyes looked positively disturbing. He knew that she must be replaying all of her memories of Ichigo behind those non seeing eyes.

"Huh, oh I'm sorry Urahara-San, what do you mean?" The auburn haired woman asked in confusion. She was in to much pain to focus on the present. She only wanted to go home and sleep.

"I mean about your eyesight. How are you going to get around? You don't have any family that will help you and hiring a caretaker takes money. " The shopkeeper explained. Orihime opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. She didn't want to think about the future but now it was being thrust before her. The truth was she hadn't thought about what she would do at all. The only reason she had her apartment was because he Grandfather left her a trust when he died.

Ulquiorra stood next to his former captive, watching as her face took on a worried tone. He kept his silence, curious as to what the woman would say. It seemed such a shame after putting so much effort out to make sure that she was healthy that he should just leave. Her head hung lower as she wrung the front of her shirt with her hands in worry.

"I….I guess I haven't thought of that." the healer mumbled as she nibbled on her lip in worry. It was all too much too soon. She was still trying to process a life without Ichigo. She bit harder as she held back the tears as her heart wrenched at never being able to see her crush again_. I guess I'll have to get a job, but who will_ _hire a blind person?_ She was having problems simply standing without falling over, how would she ever find a job? She stayed deep in thought which caused her silent companion to answer for her.

"I will watch over her." For whatever the reason the stoic one felt it was his obligation to watch over the woman. She looked so pitiful with the way she was acting so weak and unsure of herself. He knew that if he left her on her own as she was now, she wouldn't survive a day. The idea left an oddly bitter taste in his mouth. He was sure it was just a fluke.

Orihime turned her head in the eternal darkness to where she heard Ulquiorra's voice. Her heart seemed to stop in the strange situation. Was he really sticking up for her? She had so many mixed feelings that fought for control inside of her. On one hand a small part of her blamed Ulquiorra for the death of her friend, but another part of her didn't want to be alone. She shook her head, she had been alone for so long what would eternal darkness really add to it?

"Thank you for the offer, Ulquiorra-San but I can't. It would be a burden to you. Mr. Urahara may I use your phone?" Orihime quickly asked. The stoic demon raised his eyebrow. She rejected his offer? The only sign of any annoyance that was shown was a blink.

"Of course Inoue! It should be on the counter over there!" The shopkeeper said as he pointed across the room. It would take a fool to think that a blind person could see a finger pointing. Orihime bit her lip as the shock of what Urahara was doing took its toll. It was just plain mean. She could do it she just needed that phone. The lady took a hesitant step forward in the darkness, putting her arms uncertainly out in front her herself. A counter should be attached to a wall, so logically if she followed the wall she would feel the phone sooner or later.

The two men watched the stubborn lady stumble forward, she slightly tripped on the edge of a chair but caught her footing in time. Orihime took a breath to try and stave off the anxiety before taking a tiny step straight, using the tips of her toes to test if something was in front of her. She put her leg too far in front and tripped. She was lucky that she fell into the wall. Orihime used her hands to soften the blow and used the wall as a crutch to find the counter. She would show them. She didn't need Ulquiorra to help her. She wouldn't be a burden to any more people if she could help it. If someone would have told her a year ago that she would be afraid to take a step forward, she wouldn't have believed them.

To walk and not have a clue where you were going, if you would fall, or if you were going to run into something. To be perfectly honest it was terrifying and filled with anxiety. That didn't matter now though, what mattered now was getting to the phone. She was sure that Tatsuki would know what she should do. Tatsuki was always so smart and in control.

Urahara glanced over to Ulquiorra and sent him a questioning look. The shopkeeper had no idea what the fourth espada was thinking. His look was met with a blank stare. No, he wasn't going to help the woman. If she wanted to walk around looking like an idiot (something he wouldn't put past her) he certainly wasn't going to stop her. She would have to live with her consequences. The former leader of the twelfth division wondered briefly if he was making the right choice for vouching for the demon.

The shinigami would no longer be coming to the town, apparently Ulquiorra was being given a second chance due to his actions relating to Orihime. He had a feeling Byakuya hurried it along with the simple sentence of, "Humans are not the responsibility of shinigami," in order to get out of the shop before his little sister could wake up and protest. Chad was currently in one of the backrooms resting. He didn't like being cruel to the young healer but she needed to realize that she needed help. He already had Tessai in the process of making a Gigi for the espada.

"So, just out of curiosity, why are you here?" The demon spared him a bored glance before the emerald eyes found the young lady who by now had made it to the other side of the room, closer to the phone. There seemed to be no answer forthcoming and when the shopkeeper was about to press forward, he was graced with a reply.

" I have nothing better to do."

Orihime cautiously walked closer to the outline of the wall. The other thing that she begun to notice was that time was beginning to have no meaning. How long had she been searching for that phone? It felt too long to her. The frustration was nearly making her cry, but she wouldn't. She had cried enough! Oh, how she wanted Tatsuki to be here right now!

"Hmm….are you sure you know what you're doing? Humans are social creatures. You can't keep her locked up all day in her room. She has it hard enough on her from what has happened. She will have to relearn how to function and you'll find that the human world is different from the hollow world." Urahara stated as he tried to get through to the espada. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. It was apparent this man thought he couldn't do it.

"Her feelings on the matter are irrelevant. I have nothing better to do." The arrancar stated once again while locking eyes with the shop keeper in a silent challenge. Urahara sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

Orihime had finally found the counter. She took tentative steps, holding her hands a few inches above the counter. She would know the phone when her arm lightly tapped it. A surge of victory rose in her as she put the phone to her ear, but she realized too late that all of her effort had been to waste when she tried to find the buttons. It was a spin dial phone. She remembered seeing a picture of one at school but she had never used one and had forgotten if the numbers went clockwise or counterclockwise. She took a deep breath. Everything was fine, she would just have to try the dial both ways. It wouldn't matter how much the spinning of the dial made her mind spin. She just had to get it. Everything is fine.

Orihime jumped as she felt a cool hand cover hers on the phone.

"Woman. My offer wasn't a request."


	4. Chapter 4

Hello I'm back. I will not be quitting this story but I will only write on it when inspiration strikes. So yeah. It will be finished, when is the question. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It was greatly appreciated!

* * *

The tub used to be a place that Orihime used specifically to relax. She used to lay back and let the water swirl around her. That was before she was blind. The auburn haired lady curled further into herself and the grip on her knees tightened. She bit lip to try to stop the little hiccups that made ripples in the water from her quiet sobbing. It had just hit her like a ton of bricks. Ichigo was dead! He was really gone. There had been so many times that Ichigo had decided to disappear but despite this Orihime could always count on him returning.

Except this time.

If she focused enough she could imagine that this was one of those times. She could imagine that she just had her eyes closed and that she wasn't really blind. She could pretend that Ichigo was just off on a training weekend with his father or that he was on a secret mission. She tried to picture Ichigo in her mind but all the she could conjure up was the look of pure hated in the demon's eyes. The auburn haired lady gasped.

Why?

Why couldn't she see Ichigo as the way that he was before?

Was her mind so traumatized that she couldn't even remember who her love was?

The water cooled around her as she held onto her knees tighter. Ulquiorra had brought her back from Urahara's using his portal summoning ability. She hadn't even had time to argue that she would be perfectly fine on her own. Tessai did promise that he would call her friends but it was obvious that she needed to be cleaned up. She could imagine how disturbing the blood on her face must have looked. Her clothes had also been dyed red with the sea of blood that ran from her veins when she was hit. The lady took her left hand and tenderly ran her finger up her nose. She could feel the small chip that was out of it. She could imagine that it was hardly noticeable to the naked eye. The wound had felt much larger after she had been attacked. Unohana was a miracle worker.

After Ulquiorra had transported them to the apartment Orihime had done everything in her power to try to get her demonic caretaker to leave. Looking back on it shame welled within her. She had acted like a child trying to get the adult to let them do something dangerous. She had screamed at him to let her go, to go get Tatsuki and leave her alone. When that didn't work her anger had quickly faded into what could be called a helpless desperation. She sobbed as she blamed the demon for taking her beloved away while she slammed her small fists into his chest. The demon had picked her up without warning and had set her in the bathtub; clothes and all before she heard the footsteps getting weaker and the door close.

The woman had taken the hint and felt for the knob for the water. She was grateful that she was in her own house. While the new increase in senses and the darkness was terrifying the fact that she knew a small bit of where she was was a great comfort. Orihime had taken her clothes off. She knew they would need to be burned. There was no way the clothes could ever be worn again.

Orihime sighed as she picked up what she hoped was shampoo and began to wash her hair. She rolled the gel around in her fingers and began to wash her body, putting under stress on her nails. She simply couldn't get clean. Who was she kidding? Orihime knew that she was just as guilty as Ulquiorra for Ichigo's death. She might as well have signed the death certificate. This was what her attempts to help had brought.

It hadn't mattered either way. Ichigo remained dead all the same, at least Ulquiorra allowed him to die as the Ichigo she knew and loved. She would have preferred to have that memory of him as compared to the demonic version. The auburn haired lady scrubbed harder. She could feel the pain but she didn't care. She had to get clean! Her nails scrapped harshly over her breasts and down to her stomach. The red lines appeared on her skin a few seconds later.

Orihime let out a gasp of surprise as cold hands grabbed her own. She shivered in sudden fear. There was only one person she knew with hands like that.

"What are you doing?" The monotone voice asked. The lady held still as she tried to stop the shaking. She knew from experience that Ulquiorra wasn't going to let her go until he was ready too.

"Washing the blood off." The auburn haired lady stated as her unseeing eyes widened at the situation. She knew that Ulquiorra wasn't affected by her state of undress but that didn't make herself feel any better. This was so improper.

"I can see that and apparently mutilating yourself as well. Did you not see enough mutilation today in regards to the trash? Do you wish me to help you destroy yourself?" The fourth espada asked in a quietly forceful voice as he slightly increased the pressure on her hands that he held captive to show he was serious about his offer. Orihime winced as she quietly shook her head. The pressure instantly decreased.

"Do not try to kill yourself in a fit of misplaced emotion. The piece of trash knew what was in for him the second he decided to enter Los Noches. " Ulquiorra stated as he turned to leave.

"Be quiet! Ichigo is not and will not ever be trash! You're just jealous that you're not even half the man he is!" The footsteps stopped and all was silent in the apartment except for Orihime's harsh breathing.

"Interesting." The demon stated before he finished his methodological walk out of the bathroom. The lady let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. The bath ended quickly after that. She felt around in the darkness. There had to be a reason that Ulquiorra had decided to come in. Had he been watching her the whole time? That thought bordered on creepy.

* * *

The demon in question actually had been standing on the outside of the bathroom door all night. He hadn't been able to make heads or tail of this "human world" so far. Everything was so similar yet so different. The real reason he had come into the bathroom had been to see if she had tried to kill herself. It wouldn't do to have his main time consumer die, then he would be goal-less in an unfamiliar world.

It can be said that there are many types of personalities no matter which world a person inhabits. Ulquiorra was one of those entities whose existence depended on having an order to follow or something to do. He wasn't like Grimmjow, Zaraki, or Ichigo. Those people were the ones who did everything they could to disregard the rules. They didn't want praise, they simply wanted to disturb the natural order of things and make their own way.

The fourth espada was someone who needed to be told what to accomplish. He thrived on orders to follow. Ulquiorra knew that there was a natural order and he fully respected that. Now there was nothing for him. The leader that he had placed so much faith in was dead and he was left with nothing. The demon peaked into the bathroom and saw that his charge was now leaning out of the tub, carefully using both of her hands to feel on the ground.

Emerald green eyes took in the woman. There was no denying that she was beautiful despite her injury. Orange hair clanged to her pale skin, her breasts were on full display with the way she was leaning. Her nipples stood erect from the coolness from the room. Ulquiorra felt something akin to a shock run through him.

Odd.

This was his last mission. He could end her miserable existence anytime he chose. He refused to admit any kinship with the woman. At most there was tolerance. The healer had now managed to get out of the bathtub on wobbly legs. Water pooled around her feet as she tried to find the towels. The demon turned to get a towel.

Orihime stood shivering in what she knew to be the middle of her bathroom. She held her arms firmly around her breasts. She was beginning to get that feeling again, the feeling like she didn't know where she was. It was silly. She knew she was in the middle of the bathroom.

But what if she was wrong?

Orihime swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in her throat. She was not going to be afraid but she really wanted to get out of this room. She wanted to go to bed and deal with this later.

Escapism?

Yes.

But at the moment she didn't care. She could hear Ulquiorra's footsteps walking around in her apartment. Orihime bit her lip as she swallowed her pride and dignity. It was either this or walk around blind and naked trying to find a towel. It wasn't like the demon hadn't seen her naked before.

"Ulquiorra! I'm sorry to bother you but I need a towel." The lady timidly said in a louder voice than she usually used. She focused on the footfalls as they came closer to the door. It was easy to place the fourth espada even when she had her eyesight. She used to always be able to tell when he was about to enter. His stride had always been so full of purpose. The door opened and Orihime was surprised as a towel was wrapped around her. The unexpected silent action made her surge forward in an instinctive reaction. She felt her whole front part of her body (Thankfully towel covered) come into direct contact with the espada's chest. Her whole face heated up as she frantically tried to get away, which resulted in her nearly falling.

The demon blinked his eyes. This woman was strange, of course she always had been. She now had her arms out in an attempt to find balance while she desperately tried to hold up the towel by an alternation method. It took a few seconds but the lady regained balance.

"Ulquiorra?" Orihime questioned to the air around her. The demon stepped forward.

"What is it?" The espada asked. The lady looked embarrassed for a few seconds before asking.

"I want to put on some sleepwear and go to bed." The auburn haired lady muttered in a mildly defeated voice. One of the demon's eyebrow rose at the tone.

"I will do this for you now, but tomorrow we will start training you on how to do things for yourself. I have no intention of being your humbled servant." The fourth espada emotionlessly stated as he went to the closet and pulled out what looked like a very long shirt. Orihime tried to hide being startled as the towel was ripped away and the rough fibers began impassionately drying her off. She had never felt so humiliated and helpless. The fourth espada kept his hand firmly on her shoulder to keep her from accidentally falling.

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime responded; scandalized. She tried to focus on the cool hand to keep her grounded. She knew that if she lost focus she would be in the sense of confusion that she had yet to learn to live with.

"Arms up." A dispassionate voice ordered. The lady responded immediately as he arms rose to the sky. She felt the fabric slide down her arms. A breath of relief escaped her now that she was clothed. There was not any time for her to adjust as she was picked up, brought to her room, and put down on the futon.

The blind woman struggled to get her barings before arranging herself in the bed. She heard the demon sit down at the opposite side of the room. This was different, before when she had been at Los Noches her caretaker had only come in when she needed to be fed or to give her a change of clothes. She sighed as she pulled the blankets over her head. She hated today.

"Good night Ulquiorra." The blind lady quietly stated.

"Hm." The demon responded. Orihime tried to get comfy and prepared for a night of terrifying dreams to add to her terrifying reality.

* * *

Little did they know that while the fairy user was trying to go to sleep, Ishida was beginning to awaken to a nightmare of his own.


	5. Chapter 5

Today I heard the Dub voice for Ulquiorra. This was actually the first time I had heard the english dub. I was blushing through the whole thing. I swear, Ulquiorra sounds like sex on legs! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

* * *

Ulquiorra stared at the leeping woman in front of him as the sun rose naturally outside. The chirping of the birds was a mild annoyance that he had not had to put up with before. In Los Noches there was no natural sunlight or animal sounds. There was only moonlight and the sounds of scuffles in the sand. He was surprised that the woman in front of him had actually slept through the whole night. There was going to be so much he would have to teach her. Her helplessness was more than frustrating. This world was so different. The need for food was one he never thought he would have to be concerned about. The Espada all ate weaker hollows . He sensed immediately when the orange haired woman awoke. The way the spiritual pressure had disbursed around the room was hard to miss.

The two sat in silence for ten minutes before the human began to try and feel her way around. The demon watched as his charge as she shakily stood up on her feet. Her hands knotted into fists as she hesitantly called out his name.

"I'm here woman." The emotionless one stated. He watched as Orihime jumped in shock at the sound of his voice.

"Morning, Ulquiora."

"Hn"

The first thing Orihime had thought of when she woke up was Ichigo. It was neither the demonic Ichigo or the human Ichigo, but the idea of Ichigo. The way he would always try to make things right. The way he would never give up. She could have laid in that bed all day but she knew that she had to get up. Her heart still hurt and it felt like she was going to break down at any second, but she had to hold it together. That would be what Ichigo wanted.

Orihime tried to listen for any sounds. There was creak from her water heater near the kitchen. The birds were chirping outside. The wind was rustling the leaves on the large oak tree that sat in front of the apartments. These sounds comforted her but it was not what she was looking for. An irrational sense of loneliness came over her as she listened for the demon. She heard nothing. Orihime took a shaky breath as she stood up, trying to find her balance in the eternal darkness. She hesitantly called out the Espada's name. Relief flooded through her when he answered.

The thought of being completely alone in the recently unfamiliar apartment was a scary one. The human steadied herself as she tried to regain balance. She couldn't keep doing this. There had to be a better way. If only she had someone tell her where to go. She doubted Ulquiorra would since he wanted her to become self sufficient as soon as possible. She had to focus on living, that was the only way she could keep her mind off of Ichigo.

"Summon up your fairies." The arrancar stated in a bored tone. The human turned her head toward the sound of his voice.

"Why?" The fairy user carefully asked. It was such an odd request.

"You look pathetic standing there and I will not support the dependency of someone weaker. If you want daily help your fairies will have to provide it."

Orihime's non-seeing eyes widened. A strangely giddy feeling rose up in her. Ulquiorra was trying to help her, albeit in a mean way but she supposed it was the thought that counted. That's right, there was a chance she could get her eyesight back. The human touched her hair pins to summon up the fairies. Ulquiorra blinked at the bright light.

"Ug, you insane woman! What is the purpose of summoning us! Where's the fight!" Tsubaki growled as he fluttered around the human's head.

"I'm sorry Tsubaki-San it's just that I needed some help is all!" Orihime frantically apologized as the small fairy pulled on her hair. She stumbled around as the darkness started swirling her senses.

"What happened to your eyes Orihime?" Ayame quietly asked.

"Huh, yeah, they do look different." Tsubaki stated as he stopped the assault on the human. A hot blush came to the human's face from the attention. Ulquiorra watched curiously as the woman began to explain. He could tell by the tremble of her lips that this would be an emotional response.

"Umm…we...well….you see…." The human stuttered.

"She's blind. The trash blinded her." The demon stated. The trembling lip turned into a snarl at the mention of her dead friend.

"Stop calling him trash!" She yelled out. The fourth espada smirked. Why did she keep denying that he was trash? All it was doing was sending her into an fit on anger but he felt it was justified. She was more amusing when she was angry then depressed.

"Why deny what he is? Do you want me to tell you that he didn't blind you? That it was a dream and it was someone else? Do you want me to tell you that everything will be alright? If that is what you expect than you are mistaken."

"What are you doing here!" Tsubaki screamed as he lunged for the demon. The battle fairy was held back in mid lunge by Shun'o.

"Let me go! I'm going to get him!"

"Stop it Tsubaki! We have to focus on Orihime. There has to be some reason he's here! Don't jump into things."

"I'm surprised that one of you has the intelligence to hold back from jumping to conclusions. I will be her caretaker from now on."

"Orihime, let's try to fix your eyes." Ayame suggested as she nervously looked between her Master and the demon. Orihime focused on her breathing. Why did Ulquiorra have to constantly bring it up? Why couldn't he let it rest for a day? The door to the apartment opened as Urahara came in dragging a giant package.

"Yoo Hoo! Anyone home? I know it's early but I had to see how my favorite couple was doing?" Kisuke cheerily yelled as he walked through the home. Ulquiorra sent a bored look to the shop keeper and the fairies stared.

"State your purpose." The demon stated.

"Oh Mr. Urahara. Don't mind him, please make yourself at home." Orihime invited. She was still angry about the way she had been treated but politeness came through.

"I think I will. Ulquiorra, your Gigi is done." The shop keeper stated with a voice of authority. The fourth espada raised an eyebrow. This could prove interesting.

* * *

Here is chapter 5. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please tell me what you think!


End file.
